


Zodiac

by derseroyalty



Category: Banana Bus Squad
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-11-17
Packaged: 2019-01-27 04:30:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 16,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12573748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/derseroyalty/pseuds/derseroyalty
Summary: When all the Zodiacs leave their posts in the heavens, it’s up to Scotty and Anthony to find them and bring them home.





	1. mission: bring the zodiacs back and try not to die

**Author's Note:**

> just an idea I had! shoutout to the bbs post on tumblr that helped me with the placements, thx fam
> 
> also shoutout to the prologue because those get to be short lmao
> 
> happy halloween!! <33

The sky’s dark.

That would normally be fine, but Scotty’s pretty sure that the constellations should be glowing brightly on a night like this. There’s no clouds, no disturbance, so then why is it so…quiet?

Scotty frowns from his spot on the top of the tallest mountain in the world. Next to him, his companion snores softly, curled up in his jacket. “Anthony!” Scotty hisses, shoving him lightly. “Get your ass up. I think we have a problem.”

“What kind?” Anthony mumbles, turning over in his sleep.

Scott sighs, double checking the sky before turning back. “A very bad kind. I can’t see any stars.”

“Well, just wait for the clouds to pass.” Anthony replies, still half-asleep. “Shouldn’t be that hard, Scott.”

“That’d be great if there were actually any clouds out.” Scotty snaps back. He stands up and takes a deep breath as he holds out his hand. Being a demigod means he has a few tricks up his sleeve, which allow him to get close to the Zodiacs in the first place. Some stars coming spiraling down and glow in his hand; they form into a ladder and he climbs all the way up to the Zodiac Path near the top of the heavens, warily looking around.

Aries, first on the Path, isn’t there. A cold feeling of dread comes over him as he stares all the way down; there’s empty spots all the way down the Path, not a single Zodiac in sight. Pisces at the very bottom is missing as well. “There’s no Zodiacs,” he whispers, hands shaking as he descends.

At the bottom (or top?) of their spot, Anthony has fully woken up and is staring at the sky. “Well fuck, you’re right.” He admits. “What’d you find?”

“I found nothing,” Scotty mutters. “There’s no one up there.”

Anthony’s eyes go wide and he looks up at the Path. “What?! What’re you saying?”

“I’m saying that they left!!” Scott snaps. “They’re gone!! And that means we have to go find them.”

“Fuck,” Anthony swears. “Has this happened before?”

“We’ve only been alive for a few millennia, dude. They’re infinitely old. I’m positive they’ve done this before, but we need to go get them.” Scott wrings his hands nervously. "My ass is gonna be on the line if we can't get them back in their respective spots."

They both sigh and gaze out over the world. "There's twelve Zodiacs, and we don't have long until the Path starts cracking." Anthony thinks about it. "Should we be smart and get Aries first?"

Scotty winces. "I hate to think about it, but I think that's what we have to do. Holy shit, this is gonna suck."

The two of them exchange nervous looks and take deep breaths. "Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces." Anthony recites. "Zero down, twelve to go."

"Well," Scotty takes his first step down the mountain, "I hope you're ready to go on an adventure, dude, because we won't be back here for a while."


	2. the ram

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ll do my best to get as many chapters as I can out!! thank you for the support, I will always appreciate it. <3

Heading down the mountain is the easy part. Trying to figure out where Aries went is a bit harder.

Scotty surveys the horizon, watching as the somewhat starry sky sinks below and brings the rise of the sun. “I have no idea where to start,” he admits to Anthony, raising an eyebrow as he puffs and wheezes when he reaches the ground.

“Would they,” Anthony pants, “head where their animal is?”

“Some of them do,” Scotty wonders out loud. “Pisces absolutely has to and I think Virgo stays in the forest. Capricorn has to stay near the beach, which helps us a lot.”

“So, the ram. Cliffs and hills?” Anthony tries to remember the geography of the world. The Zodiacs and them exist on a certain dimension; they couldn’t interfere with any humans, and vice versa. It certainly helped a bit, but since Scotty and Anthony were ‘newer’ minor gods, they couldn’t get any help from anyone.

“He might be,” Scotty says absentmindedly. He pictures Aries in his mind; a scowling man with giant ram horns and an angry glint in his ruby red eyes. He shudders once more before heading off with Anthony.

“If we’re Guardians of the Path, then shouldn’t we be able to sense where they are?” Anthony asks.

“Sometimes. It depends on how strong the connection is to a certain Zodiac.” The demigod replies. “Look, I don’t think you’ve ever really met the Zodiacs, right?”

“Kinda. Leo and Scorpio talked to me once.” Anthony shrugs. “They seemed nice.”

“I think the only actual nice ones are Virgo, Libra, and Pisces. Everyone else has another motive.”

“Well, shit.”

Scotty laughs, but then freezes as he stares at a nearby tree. The leaves are golden while the bark is a lovely shade of silver. “Dude, wait…is that…a feather?”

Anthony heads forward and takes the feather out of the branches. It's brown tipped with gold, practically the size of his hand all the way down to the wrist. Giant claw marks are scored deep into the tree; a singular arrow sticks out of the bark.

Scotty squawks as he slips on a puddle of water. “Fuck, guess we found them.” He growls. “Is there a trail of red glitter or something?”

“Uh…yeah, actually! Is that Aries?” Anthony squats and pokes at the glittery trail. “I’m assuming the claw marks are Leo, and the puddle is Pisces? The arrow’s gotta be Sagittarius.”

“The feather is Virgo. His wings are fucking huge, dude. They may not show up on his constellation, but goddamn.” Scotty shakes his head. “I’ve gotten clipped and had bruises in places I didn’t want.”

There’s eleven different trails. Anthony stares at the puddle of water; there’s several scales glowing in the trail leading away, and he suddenly realizes what’s going on. “Pisces can’t walk anywhere without Aquarius. Mermaid tail, can’t go out of water.”

“We gotta get Aries first. It looks like he’s headed to the mountains.” Scotty nods at the distant hills shrouded in fog. "He won't be that hard to find. That bastard has a knack for finding us first."

Anthony swallows but follows his friend anyways, nervously teleporting and feeling his molecules scatter and then form again as he makes it to the base of the first mountain. 

Scotty points at the trail of glitter leading upwards. "Oh good, he's here."

"Would he be hanging out near the top or in a cave?" Anthony questions, talking to himself mostly. Scotty snorts and tries not to laugh. 

A rumble shakes the mountain. More red glitter scatters down, and a grunting noise causes the two demigods to look up.

**"Who goes there?"**

"Aries, it's us." Scotty shouts. "We gotta get you guys home."

There's a pause, and then a few boulders come flying down. **"Fuck off."**

"C'MON YOU ASSHOLE!!" Scotty snarls. "The Path's gonna crack if you don't get back on there!"

**"So what? Maybe I don't wanna do it anymore."**

"Is that everyone's reason too?" Anthony asks. "Did you guys willingly head off to do whatever?"

Aries is silent for a moment, and then he sighs. **"...Hold on."**

"Also, what's with the voice?" Anthony whispers. Scotty shrugs. "They can do powerful enough voices to be heard in space. When you're just a bunch of stars, it gets difficult to talk and be loud enough to hear."

"Damn, I didn't think of that."

There's a clatter of hooves that has them turning. A man with an X over his right eye skids down the mountainside, mouth curved into a frown. His ram horns are magnificent and they take both demigods' breath away. 

"What?" Aries snaps, glaring angrily at them. "I'm only here because Genay made me."

"Genay?" Scotty frowns. Anthony gasps and snaps his fingers. "Your girlfriend! Well, fuck dude! You guys came down to see your significant others, right?"

"...Yeah." Aries grumbles. "We really missed them."

"That makes more sense," Scotty admits. "But why didn't you tell us? We definitely would've let you guys go for a bit. Maybe not all at once, but we'll work on that."

"The last Guardians refused to let us, so we escaped then too." Aries shrugs. "Figured we could do it again."

There's a trail of glitter under Aries' hooves. He sighs and shakes one hoof, narrowing his eyes as it sends glitter flying everywhere. "Why the hell couldn't I get Gemini's trail? Or even fuckin' Taurus? That asshole. He's next and he's my best bro, so I can sniff him out for you."

"Wait, you're coming with us just like that?" Scotty asks, eyes wide. "I really thought it'd take more than that."

"If you're being dead serious about letting us see our girls, then I've got no issue going back. Besides, if you lie, we can just keep escaping over and over again." Aries replies. "And for now, call me Luke. It's just easier than 'Aries'."

"Okay, Luke." Anthony grins. "Did you want to say goodbye?"

Luke's ruby eye widens. "Oh, right." He scampers back up the mountain and back into his cave; after a good minute or two, he descends and manages a small smile.

“Let’s go,” Luke says, turning his head towards the shadowy forest somewhere in the distance. “We’ve got a bull to catch.”


	3. the bull

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow this is a lot of fun to write

“So, how’d you escape?”

Luke glances back from the entrance to the forest, ram horns taking out a nearby branch. "From the Path?" 

Anthony ducks beneath another branch and yelps as he stumbles over a root. "Yeah! I thought that was really hard to do."

"Well, when we've done it for a long time, it gets kinda easy." Luke shrugs. "There's a way out near Aquarius' spot. Some of the stars are growing old, so he just takes Pisces and tells the rest of us and we leave." 

"I won't reinforce it," Scotty tells him. "I want to be a better Guardian, y'know? Just please let me know if one of you wants to go. All of you guys will crack it if everyone leaves."

"Cracking the Path makes the stars go out," Anthony remembers. "So the stars will go out if too much time goes by without the Zodiacs to preserve it."

"Yep. Sorry about that. I'll make sure to let everyone know about our talk." Luke nods, pushing past a final branch. "We're here, by the way."

"What?" Scotty blinks, eyes wide as the trees melt away into a clearing. Flowers curl around their feet; the scent of petrichor fills the air. A gentle stream bubbles, sending mist spraying. "Holy shit, this is gorgeous." 

"Thank you!" A new voice calls. They recognize Taurus sitting at the edge of the clearing; his horns are sharp and deadly, and his tail whips around him like a weapon. A greenish blue septum piercing glints in the faint light. 

"Del, you forgot your hoodie." Luke calls, holding up a bright blue hoodie that the Guardians haven't noticed before. "You rushed through that exit so fast, I'm pretty sure you whipped Scorpio on the way out."

Delirious snickers and looks pleased. "That asshole stung me at one point, so I'm not even sorry."

Taurus' eyes are an electric blue that makes Scotty and Anthony blink in surprise. Delirious raises an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"I know you're an Earth sign, but this seems more like..." Scotty sweeps his hand around at the spring that flows through the clearing. "Water?"

"I love water," Delirious sighs dreamily. "It's so pretty!! Pisces is the only Water sign that lets me get near the actual ocean."

"That's because Scorpio and you battle it out sometimes and Cancer makes everyone lose their shit." Luke laughs loudly. "And besides, Pisces is a nice guy. Everyone likes him."

"All that aside," Delirious gets up and crosses his arms, "why're you here?"

"We're getting all the Zodiacs back to the Path." Anthony replies. "We didn't know where you guys had gone so we panicked. We're not gonna force you, but on behalf of the Guardians we promise to let a few of you go every once in a while to hang out down here and then hopefully come back."

Delirious tilts his head. "You'd let us go back?"

"Not all at once, but yeah." Scotty gestures to the sky. "The Path's gonna crack soon."

The Zodiac gets up and heads over to Aries and the Guardians. "I know I'm supposed to be stubborn, but I think I'll make an exception for this. You better keep your promise."

"We swear to you that we will," Scotty and Anthony say in unison. 

Shadows from the surrounding forest fall on his face. His eyes narrow a bit and the Guardians can practically hear the Earth whispering beneath their feet. Delirious's grin is a bit terrifying as he smiles. "Good! Let's go get Gemini, that two-faced nerd—and I say that purely out of love—split in half when we left."

"Like, actually split in half?" Anthony asks. "Sorry, I'm a bit newer to you guys. I've never seen any of you out of the stars, I haven't had a chance to really interact with y'all."

Delirious waves it off. "It's all good. You'll get to meet us all when we get Aquarius and Pisces; that's when the REAL fun starts."

"Del, that means we gotta go right now." Luke rolls his eyes and nudges his best friend. "Idiot."

Taurus groans and casts a mournful glance at his clearing. "Fiiiine. And yes, Anthony, he actually split in half. Can't control himself when he gets riled up or super excited. Ha, at least I get the cool septum piercing."

Luke sighs at the red glitter trailing back through the forest. "Fucking hell."

"At least it's not Cancer's," Delirious jokes. He clears his throat and does a horrible imitation of his voice. "Oh fock! Me claws are knocking you down! Sorry aboot that!"

"You sound a bit like Virgo at the end there," Luke notes. A very vicious smile has Scotty and Anthony raising an eyebrow and Delirious looking spooked. "Ohoho! You've been spending time with him, haven't you?"

"FUCK OFF!" Delirious spits, actual steam wafting out of his nose. "None of your goddamn business!"

Luke smiles winningly and literally prances off, smug grin bright as he heads out of the forest. Delirious growls some curse words and angrily follows him; as he passes Anthony, the Guardian almost shrieks in laughter as he spots a very familiar feather stuck in his hoodie, the brown and gold catching rays of sunshine and nearly hidden in his pocket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im a Leo and I got the fav for my Zodiac...Im so glad I get to write him for me... :')


	4. the twins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't wait for this weekend; I'm gonna be home alone from today till Monday morning hyyyypppeee

"Why is it so easy to get you guys to come with us? I really thought you'd put up more of a fight."

"Trust me, it won't be later on." Luke says with a grim smile. "Leo, Scorpio, Capricorn, and Aquarius are gonna put up a fight. Maybe even Sagittarius but who knows. I just happened to say yes because Genay would kick my ass if I didn't go back."

"I haven't seen the other assholes in a while so I figured, why not?" Delirious laughs from where he's standing next to Anthony. "Might be fun." 

Scotty quietly decides that he'll lead all the other Zodiacs to the first tree they saw when him and Anthony started their adventure. He makes his way towards it, attempting to look at the trails around the tree. "Where's Gemini?"

"Sneaky bastard." Luke shakes his head fondly. "He's...hm...it's not visible, but you've gotta feel it in you. His trail is super weird."

"What the fuck," Anthony deadpans. 

Scotty stares at the tree. Luke's is visible, and the rest of the signs he mentioned earlier as well. Delirious snorts and rolls his eyes, pointing at an empty space not too far from them. "He's right here, actually."

"Shit!!" Luke spits while the Guardians leap into the air. "Which one?"

Delirious narrows his eyes. "...Red."

"Fuck," Luke swears. He swivels towards the invisible Zodiac and growls. "Dude, c'mon. If you've been eavesdropping, then you know what we're doing."

Right before the Guardians' very eyes, a boy materializes and pouts. "But I don't wanna do that!" 

The boy has stark white hair with a simple propeller cap on. He's floating in the air, a childlike grin on his face. A red bowtie shines from his simple gray shirt, and a yellow coat drapes down to his hovering shoes. What worries the Guardians most of all are his eyes; they're a bright red, gleaming and crackling with energy. 

"Red, you're gonna have to." Luke says cautiously. "Look, I know it seems bad, but it's not—"

Red sticks out his tongue. "Fuck you! I don't have to do shit!"

"Where's Blue?" Delirious interrupts, not flinching as Red whirls on him. "We're gonna have to get Cancer after you, and we all know how long that'll take."

"Cancer! He's a funny guy, bit of an asshole!" Red swoops around the Guardians. "You're different! You're not the old ones!"

"And they've promised to let us go out again if we go back before the Path cracks." Luke replies, stepping in front of the supposed twin. "Let's go see Blue, okay?"

"Y'all ain't the boss of me! See you fuckers later!" Red laughs loudly and flips them off before disappearing into thin air. Delirious growls and huffs as a steam of hot air drifts from his nose. "He's pissing me off..."

"That's how he'll be unless we find Blue," Luke grunts. He turns towards Scotty and Anthony who have wide eyes. "You need to find his other half. Concentrate; think of how you want to fix this. They're like a yin-yang duo; find one, you find the other."

The Guardians nod and close their eyes; Scotty's more worried about everything going on so he can't do it. It's Anthony who thankfully manages to focus on Red. In his mind's eye, he sees the trickster, and he locks onto his companion. 

_Blue,_ he thinks. _Where are you?_

All Guardians could potentially be powerful. They have the power to truly connect with the Zodiac, able to sense them at any point if they can communicate and become friends with the stars themselves. A fully unlocked Guardian could probably drag the Zodiacs back by their tails and ears, locking them onto the Path for the world to gaze upon.

But Anthony isn't like that. He just simply taps into Gemini, and feels something blossom in him. There's a jolt somewhere in his entire being, and he can sense the other half of Gemini somewhere halfway around the world. 

"Anthony?" Scotty whispers as he feels the connection open up. They're both pretty passive, the two Guardians. Deep down, they're really not violent people. It'll allow both of them to truly talk with the Zodiac, and Scotty feels power tremble through his fingertips.

Anthony sends out a summon, and he senses Blue warping away and landing near them. He's still invisible however, but the Guardians can sense his presence nearby.

"Is he giving you trouble?" Blue lets his form materialize. He's a boy with brown hair and simple clothes on with stylish shoes. His eyes, a deep brown, flash an electric blue that looks dangerous.

“Yes,” Luke snaps. “Drag his ass back here.”

Blue gives him a two-fingered salute with a wry grin. “Will do.”

Since Gemini is an Air sign, the Guardians can actually feel the winds scatter Blue’s molecules into stars and head off.

Luke settles against a tree and sighs heavily. Delirious, for all his worth, has fallen asleep near the tree, snoring softly. 

Scotty wisely doesn’t comment on how Delirious clutches the feather in his hand.

A few minutes later, there’s a yell in the airwaves. **“Someone pull him back!”** Blue calls out in his voice, fighting with his counterpart.

Scotty holds onto Anthony and they both tug gently on Red’s coat. They feel him squawk and both twins fall out of the air, tumbling into the tree.

“Ow,” Blue mutters.

Red groans and opens his bright red eyes, locking onto the boy in front of him. “Hi Blue!”

“Hello, Red.” His twin sighs. “They need us right now, okay? Be rational. Get your shit together and let’s help them. I get a headache whenever you fucking leave and I’m tired of having it.”

“I don’t wanna,” Red pouts, wide eyes begging. Of course, Blue has always been used to this, so he just gives him a deadpan look and Red sighs.

“Fiiiine. At least make this one a dance?” He asks, grinning as Blue rolls his eyes.

“Sure, BFF. Get your ass up here.” Blue tugs him up and to the astonishment of the Guardians, the twins start to jam out.

Luke laughs and starts to beatbox. Red does some impressive dance moves and Blue cracks a smile, grabbing onto his hand and pushing him out before pulling him in. 

They actually glow; for a moment, everyone can see their constellation glimmer in the light, and then one person steps out of the glow and shakes his head. 

“You’d think I’d learn by now,” he laughs loudly, opening his eyes. One’s red and the other’s blue; Scotty and Anthony breathe a sigh of relief.

Luke crosses his arms. “Before we go get Cancer, what’s the sentence we gave you, Smitty?”

Smitty snorts and floats a few feet off the ground, lazily stretching. “What the FUCK is up you buttercups.”

“Good to have you back,” Luke snickers, patting him on the head. “Please refrain from splitting again.”

“I’ll do my best,” Smitty says wryly. 

He’s a perfect mix of the two, obviously. Smitty has Red’s trickster nature and Blue’s somewhat logical side. Together, they form Gemini, a perfectly balanced being.

Smitty’s hat has changed from the propeller to a simple black snapback. He fixes it over his white hair and gives Aries, Taurus, and the Guardians a winning smile.

“Let’s go see Cancer!” He says happily. “He may be an idiot sometimes, but that guy knows how to make anyone laugh. Plus his girl’s hot so that’s a bonus.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just want to let y'all know that I love you guys omfg
> 
> (smitty's literally garnet from su, he just fuses together lmfao)


	5. the crab

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> after this story, I’ll be finishing up ‘what remains of h2o delirious’ and then I’m starting a new high school au with a BUNCH of the bbs crew and their gfs.
> 
> that’s gonna be fun
> 
> also it’s one of my fav aus, I haven’t seen the specific one I’m gonna write so far and I’m super excited about it

There’s a tug coming from the direction of a faraway beach, small in size but rich in seashells. It's like a simple saltwater beach that humans would regularly go to, playing in the sand and making wonderful memories. 

Anthony stumbles when his molecules reform; Scotty catches his arm and steadies him. They both give each other nervous smiles; they're 1/4 of the way through!

Luke and Smitty rear back a bit at the water. "Not exactly my thing," Luke admits. Smitty mutters something about his clothes and hovers above Luke, gently settling on his horns. 

"This isn't the same ocean where we'd find a few others, right?" Anthony asks. Delirious shakes his head, already heading over to the water. "No, this isn't. The actual ocean is much bigger, more terrifying, and endless. Cancer stays in a lighter part of that same water, just in another location. Good thing too; Aquarius and him would battle it out all the time."

Delirious dips the tip of his tail in the water and grins. "Hell fucking YES. Gimme a second guys, I'll be a bit distracted..."

The Guardians watch as he flings himself into the water, sending waves over the sand. Delirious shouts and cheers, laughing loudly as he swims around, trying not to let his horns submerge for too long.

At the far end of the small beach, a figure pops out of the water and glares angrily, shaking his clawed hand in the air. "Hey! What the fock?"

Smitty shoots up from Luke's horns and flies towards him with a grin. "NOGLA!"

The Zodiac squawks as Smitty grabs onto his claw and hoists him out of the water; he's got whiskers on his face and a hardened back, but his human features show him with black hair and light brown eyes. "SMITTY NO!"

As Nogla gets carried around his beach, three figures poke their heads out and the Guardians wave. "Hello!" Scotty greets them. "Are you Cancer's girlfriend?" 

One of them seems to be a mermaid. She has long black hair and a lovely smile; behind her, two sea lions follow, barking excitedly. "Yes, that's me." She says quietly. "I'm Jaclyn, and this is Joe and Tony. Are you the Guardians of the Zodiac?"

"That's us!" Anthony smiles. "Long story short, they all left, obviously, and we're bringing them back. The only catch is this; we're gonna allow them to come back, but not all at once. The Path is gonna crack super soon and that's something we can't afford."

Jaclyn nods, taking a few moments to absorb that. "You'll let him come back to see me? I never was able to see him from the former Guardians. I always thought they were too strict."

"We will, it's the least we can do for having the Zodiacs protect our sky." Scotty nods. "Is it alright if we take him back now?"

Jaclyn smiles, showing off her white teeth. "The Zodiac Path is pretty damn important, and I think I have to regardless. But thank you for asking my permission and thank you for allowing him to come back." She flicks her green and gold tail, sending cool droplets of water onto Scotty and Anthony. They both smile and thank her again. 

Smitty's still flying around with Nogla, whooping excitedly. Delirious is still splashing around in the water; Luke watches fondly, shaking his head with a smile.

"Daithi!" Jaclyn calls, causing Smitty to drop him. Nogla hits the water with a yelp and reappears, looking disheveled. "Yeah?"

She crosses her arms and points at the Guardians. "You need to go back to the Path. They said they'll allow you to come back to visit, and if they don't keep their promise, I already know that pretty much all the girls will beat them up."

Luke grimaces from his spot. "Can confirm."

"No shit?!" Nogla gasps, swimming towards Scotty and Anthony on the shore. "Ye sure?"

"Positive," Anthony grins. "Jaclyn's right, I already know we'll have a lot of people beating us up if we don't deliver. But we want to be good Guardians and let you guys have some freedom." 

"The fact that ye are askin' about this proves that you guys already are." Nogla smiles, heading over to Jaclyn to give her a kiss. "I love you. I'll be back soon!"

Jaclyn laughs, eyes crinkling as Joe and Tony come swimming up to lick Nogla in the face. "I love you more. Be safe!"

Delirious gets out of the water and shakes all the water droplets off, spraying everyone around him. Luke shrieks and backs up, hooves sinking into the warm sand. The Guardians laugh loudly and Smitty just floats out of the way, grinning as Luke angrily yells.

Nogla gets out of the water and huffs a bit. "If you fockers try anything, I'll fight all of ye, but we're going after Leo next right?"

"Yep," Scotty pops the 'p'. Anthony snickers under his breath.

Nogla can barely refrain from shuddering. "Good luck, because we're gonna need it."


	6. the lion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> introducing the love of my life, the darling of my heart, and the dude I'd fight if I had the opportunity. <3
> 
> (sorry for late update, my dad pissed me off earlier and I wasn't in the mood to write. thanks for being patient!)

"Why is it gonna be difficult to get Leo?"

Every single Zodiac actually shudders. "You'll see when we get there," Smitty snickers. "I know for a fact that this is gonna be tricky. Let's go; he's near the savannah as always. We'll be behind you!"

Scotty and Anthony nod and warp away, traveling to another edge of the world. 

The atmosphere grows hot but thankfully not humid. The fields grow golden and a pool of water shimmers in the distance, vultures and various birds flying high in the sky. Animals not affected by the Zodiac mill around in the background, blissfully unaware of the impending danger. 

A lone tree stands near the watering hole. Two lion cubs rush around, batting at each other playfully. A girl with long silky blonde hair leans against the tree, arms crossed and a slight smirk on her face. Her tail curls around her leg, puffing out slightly at the tip. Puffy ears stick out of her hair and they twitch every once in a while. 

"Are you Leo's mate?" Scotty asks her. She jerks up, eyebrow raised at them. "Hm?" The lion cubs come to a stop and look at them with surprise.

Behind the Guardians, the rest of the Zodiacs form behind them. "Sup Kelly!" Smitty shouts, floating over while leaning down to pet the cubs. "Where's the asshole?"

Kelly laughs loudly, jerking her head towards some part of the savannah. "Being an idiot and racing Kino. He should be back in a moment or two. So, why do you need him?"

"The Path," Anthony steps forward. "Hi, I'm Anthony, and this is Scott. We're the Guardians and we need Leo back on it so it doesn't crack."

Kelly puts her hands up, greenish hazel eyes narrowed. "Even if I tell him, I doubt he's gonna go. He's so goddamn persistent."

"I'm what now?"

A man comes skidding up with a lion cub at his heels. Everyone reels back at the sight of him; he has crystal blue eyes, a mane full of golden hair, and a tail that whips side to side. His hands are slightly furry with sharp claws poking out. "Leo," Scotty whispers under his breath. 

"Tyler, they need to talk to you." Kelly calls out. "Don't be a dumbass and actually listen."

Tyler turns to the Guardians and grins; he has sharp canines that glint in the sun. "Oh? And what do our precious Guardians want this time?"

"To come back to the Path," Scotty says determinedly. Behind him, Luke, Delirious, Smitty, and Nogla all look at each other, worried. 

"Is that so?" Tyler rumbles, narrowing his eyes. "And why should I do that?"

"Because we'll let you come back, dude." Anthony looks up at the Zodiac, trying not to flinch. "You can come back and see Kelly, and your pets...?"

Tyler points at each cub in turn. "Kino, Archie, and Chief. My boys! And to your response, absolutely not."

"...What?"

"You heard me bitch. I ain't going back." Tyler snorts. "I'm happy back here with my loves, and Kelly too."

Kelly smacks her mate and tries to choke down the growl in her throat. "Babe. Bad joke."

"What?" Tyler protests, pointing at the Zodiacs. "I make a valid point, don't I?"

"Maybe, but they're different." Kelly attempts to reason with him. "Look, maybe they're telling the truth. They're different Guardians. Trust them once, and if they don't let you back, then break out again. Then no mercy."

Everyone looks at her in surprise; she shrugs and extends her own claws, sharp, deadly, and terrifying. "I'm part lioness, sweeties. I hunt and do most of the shit. Once you're on my bad side, you're there for good."

"Damn," Luke whispers from the back. 

"No." Tyler shakes his head. "Absolutely fucking not. I'm not going back."

"The fate of the world _literally_ depends on this."

"You think I fucking care?" Tyler snarls. "Do you not understand NO?"

Smitty and Nogla glance at each other. Even Luke, as large and terrifying as he is, stays where he is. It's Delirious who steps forward, hands up and hesitant with his movements. "Dude. Listen. We gotta go back for now. These guys are for real."

"I don't have to listen to a damn thing you say," Tyler lets his claws trail near Delirious. Taurus jerks back, and Luke growls. "Leave him alone."

"Or what? We're gonna have to get Virgo next, right?" Tyler jeers, leaning into Delirious's face. "You wanna go see him again?"

Delirious stands tall. "Fuck you."

"Am I wrong?" Tyler narrows his eyes, ears flattening against his head.

It's silent for a few minutes. 

Delirious is trembling a bit. Anthony takes a simple step forward. "Leo. Tyler. Stop it."

Tyler just swipes at them and takes off into the savannah, tail whipping around him. "Tyler!" Scotty calls out, hand reaching out uselessly.

"There's no point." Nogla shakes his head. "Once he's like this, nothing can calm him down."

They all look at Kelly. She sighs, getting off the tree and leaning down to pet one of the cubs. "I don't know what to tell you guys. If I can't calm him down, then Virgo and Pisces could. Maybe even Capricorn or Libra. But you can't continue if he doesn't go."

"I KNOW that!" Scotty spits. "I fucking KNOW that." He paces around on the dirt, angrily trying not to rip his hair out. "So NOBODY can talk to him?!"

Kelly sighs. "I'll do my best."

Before she takes off after him, Anthony gently stops her. "Hold on. I'm gonna try something. Scotty, can you please hold my hand? It'll help with the two of us together."

Scotty sighs and takes Anthony's hand, squeezing it. "Okay."

The younger Guardian opens up the connection once more and feels the first four Zodiacs hum in unison. There's the determination of Aries, the stubbornness of Taurus, the wittiness of Gemini, the sympathetic nature of Cancer, and...

A faint hum from Leo. 

The Guardians faintly tap in. _Leo?_

There's a surprised jolt, and then a jolt of anger rips through the connection. **"WHAT DO YOU WANT?!"** Tyler roars, the power of his voice causing everyone to recoil back. He's not even close to them and it nearly shatters the connection right then and there. 

_Tyler,_ Anthony speaks. He struggles with the next words but shoots Scott a grateful glance when he squeezes his hand again. _Tyler, dude. You gotta listen to us. What happens if the Path cracks?_

**"FUCK OFF."**

_What happens when the Path cracks?_

**"..."**

"Answer them, love." Kelly calls out, knowing her mate would hear.

**"...The stars go out."**

_Exactly. And why do we need the Zodiacs?_

There's a very long sigh in the silence. **"...To protect the stars. To keep the sky going every night and to have stories for the humans to have. To be inspirations and muses for them."**

_Yeah! And what happens if the Lion isn't there? What happens if he doesn't show up; the Path cracks, the humans don't write stories, and we all fade into nothing._

The other Zodiacs unconsciously lean forward. There isn't anything they can do. All they can hope is that the Guardians actually succeed in this.

Tyler groans loudly and sighs again. **"Fucking hell. Whatever dude. A minute tops."**

Scotty and Anthony look at each other in surprise. "Did it work?" The latter whispers, eyes wide as he glances over at the Zodiacs.

At the same time that they nod, Scott gasps in shock and puts his hand to his chest as he feels Leo's connection strengthen and turn gold. 

A ray of sunlight glows briefly, and Tyler steps out of it with his arms crossed. He moves his head and his mane ruffles. "Fine. Let's get going."

The Guardians grin. "Seriously? Tyler, you're the best!"

Tyler grumbles but Kelly snickers as she sees the corner of his lip tug up. He glances over at her and she lifts her head up, already laughing as he heads over. "I love you," he says roughly. "If I don't get to come back—"

"You're coming back," Kelly says with certainty. "I'll tear down that goddamn Path if you don't."

Tyler laughs at that, letting his claws retract so he can cup Kelly's face and kiss her. Kino, Archie, and Chief curl around his legs.

For the first time, Leo fully smiles and pats the cubs on the head. "I'll be back," he promises, and Kelly blows him a kiss. 

Tyler walks over to the group; Luke pats him on the back, Delirious cackles, Smitty hovers around Tyler's head, and Nogla just laughs loudly. "We're getting the gang back together!" He cheers, throwing a crab claw into the air. 

"Almost halfway there," Scotty says in relief. "Any idea where Virgo is?"

The Zodiacs turn to Delirious, who groans. "Seriously?"

Tyler flicks his tail towards his pocket, which still holds the feather. Delirious sighs and turns; Nogla ducks to not get pierced by his horns. "Fuck you guys. He's in the forest."

"It's okay Delirious!" Luke laughs before they warp away. "Maybe this'll be your actual first date."

Delirious's yells echo through the airwaves when they vanish, the laughter of everyone else right behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact: I watched and finished stranger things season one for the first time when I wrote this chapter.
> 
> Im gonna protect these kids even if it kills me okay Im their big sister now


	7. the maiden

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in which virgo and everyone have a nice chat.
> 
> (especially with delirious)

"How big are his wings?"

Delirious gives Nogla an incredulous look as they make it to the forest. "What?"

Nogla huffs out a sigh. "Virgo. His wings. I've never seen them in person before."

"That's because he's sensitive, dumbass." Tyler calls back, hands on hips as he stands before the forest. "Very few of us have actually seen them."

"I've seen them," Scotty grins as he appears with Anthony. "So Delirious has as well?"

"Obviously," Del struggles not to smile. "Anyone else?"

"I have," Tyler grins, surprising everyone. They start walking into the forest, ducking and maneuvering around branches. It's a different forest from Delirious's; these trees are dark and eerie, something that's very shocking to represent Virgo. "He lives here?"

"He does," Delirious confirms. "And Pisces has also seen his wings. I'm not sure if Libra has."

"He hasn't, no. Libra said it would be a two-way street if Virgo showed his wings and Libra showed...y'know." Luke shrugs. "Anyways, I really don't know how to find him in here. Y'all got any ideas?"

Scotty and Anthony, for all their worth, can't even feel a single hum. They turn to the Zodiacs in shock. "What do we do? There's nothing!"

Smitty inhales a bit, floating up to the treetops. The sun has reached around noon at this point, but the sunlight doesn't pierce the canopy. "I won't be able to find him from here. Tyler? Nogla?"

"I'm clumsy enough on land," Nogla confesses, glancing at his trail of seashells. "I'm no help right now."

Tyler huffs and pokes his head into the forest. "I might be able to find him, but the person who has the best chance is Delirious."

They all turn towards Taurus, who squares his shoulders. "...You guys want me to go?"

"Yeah dude, we have no choice. You gotta find him and bring him back," Anthony tells him with a smile. "We have faith in you!"

Delirious swallows and glances at Tyler, who gives him a nod. "I'll go with you," the lion responds, patting him on the arm. "We got this."

Everyone waves as Taurus and Leo head into the forest, heading in confidently as the trees swallow them up. 

It's quiet as the two Zodiacs walk through the woods, moving around roots and pushing aside branches. "So, how're things with Kelly?" Delirious asks, grumbling as his horns catch on various vines. 

Tyler smirks and swipes a few vines away with his claws. "Really well. She's a fantastic mate and girlfriend. Speaking of partners..."

Delirious sighs and gives him narrowed ocean blue eyes. "Just say it."

"You and Virgo?"

"What do you want me to say?" Delirious throws his hands into the air, angrily stomping off. "I kinda like him? His feathers are super soft? I want to spend my time with him?"

Tyler shrugs. "We all knew, y'know. It was pretty obvious. He likes you back."

Delirious whips his tail around and hits Tyler; the lion snarls and bats it away. "Dude, what's with the stick up your ass about this? We all know you like Virgo, so just ask him out or something!! It's not that big of a deal!"

Suddenly exhausted, Delirious slumps down near a tree and sighs. "I don't know, Tyler. I think it's just because I'm not gonna be good enough for him. There's people closer to him than me; you, Pisces, maybe even Libra because of how passive they are. I don't know."

Tyler eyes him down. "Did he give you the feather and tell you that it's only for people he trusts the most?"

Delirious looks up at him, and for a moment, Tyler is struck by the grief in his eyes. "Yeah, he did. He gave you one too right?"

Leo snorts and looks deep into the trees. "No, he didn't. You're the only one he's ever given a feather to."

The bull jerks up, eyes wide. "...What?"

"You're an idiot, you know that right?" Tyler shakes his head affectionately. "Virgo really likes you. He loves to spend time with you, dude. Also, he's right there in those trees staring at me and I'm gonna head back to the group."

Delirious moves his attention slowly to the glowing yellow eyes staring back at him. "...Evan?"

"Hey, Evan." Tyler waves. "I'll be with the squad, see you lovebirds later."

They both watch as Tyler heads back to the entrance, vanishing into the nearby trees. Delirious gives the golden eyes a faint smile. "Hi again."

The shadow descends; a man with deep brown eyes, a simple shirt, sweatpants, and giant wings that glimmer drops from the trees. He brings a taloned hand to his hair, ruffling it back as he stares at Delirious. "Hey, Delly. So...uh..."

Evan has a laurel on his head that's tilted slightly. Delirious reaches forward and fixes it, grinning. "Um, long story short, we're headed back to the Path. The Guardians are really doing their best to let us come back, but we need to go so it doesn't crack."

Virgo blinks and looks up at the sky. "Oh, shit you're right. I honestly didn't even think about that. Yeah, I'll go. But before I do...Del, do you still have my feather?"

Delirious takes it out of his pocket and smiles. "Always do."

Evan smiles in relief and leans forward to press a gentle kiss against his cheek. "We'll talk when this is over. Let's head back."

Taurus watches as Evan squats, looking back at him with a grin. "Well? Get on! We'll fly outta here."

"Fuck yes," Delirious whispers as he climbs on. He makes sure his bull horns don't hit any feathers as Evan's wings expand, the wingspan nearly knocking over several trees. They're a magnificent shade of brown, spanning all the way down to chestnut and even lighter. The very tips are the gold that everyone saw on Del's feather. 

Evan readies himself, holds onto Del's legs, and shoots upward out of the forest.

Meanwhile, Tyler's made his way back to the group. "Evan's on his way," he confirms. "I think I may have just hooked them up? Who knows. But he's definitely coming with us."

"Evan? So Virgo?" Scotty blinks. "Awesome! Libra next!"

A shadow falls over the crowd. They all look up in surprise at the Zodiac descending from the sky, wings flapping. Delirious cheers on Evan's back. "Hi guys!"

"Del!" Luke shouts, waving. "Hey Evan! Long time no see!"

"Hello," Evan waves, a bit shy as he looks at the Guardians. Delirious slides off his back. "It's been a while."

"Yeah dude!" Smitty heads on over, marveling at Evan's wings. "Wow, these are GORGEOUS! Does anyone get to preen them?"

"No," Evan shakes his head. "I actually can't reach most of my feathers. It's really difficult."

"I volunteer," Smitty grins. Nogla pats Delirious on the back with his crab claw, watching as Evan lets one of his wings point towards Smitty. Gemini floats up and begins to preen, laughing as Evan suddenly slumps over and groans into the ground.

The Guardians watch, looking at each with shrugs. "Well, I guess we're halfway done. Time to get Libra?"

"He's already going to say yes." Tyler calls from the back. "It won't take long."

"Oh, good." Anthony remarks. "It'll make this job a bit easier."

They all look over at Smitty and Evan, who's still rolled over in the grass. "I think," Tyler says, trying not to laugh, "that we'll be here for a while."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> halfway through! <3


	8. the scales

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UM SCRIBBLEWRITE RECOMMENDED SEASONS ON THEIR NEW STORY (Come Away To The Water) ((Come Away To The Slaughter)) AND I LITERALLY DIED IN THE MIDDLE OF COLLEGE ALGEBRA thank you holy shit <33
> 
> anyways I'm a high school senior and that is my only excuse as to why I don't update as fast as I'd like to
> 
> also writer's block
> 
> love y'all

"Libra is a super passive dude. He gets along with Evan pretty well because of that." Luke briefs the Guardians on their next Zodiac. "Since he's the Scales, he judges fairly and looks for balance."

“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?” Anthony asks. “Balance and quality?”

“Of course it is. Sometimes it’s a bitch though.” Luke sighs. “Things have to be fair or else it won’t work.”

The group travels to a grassy plain where rolling green hills dominate the horizon. Woodland creatures bounce around while birds fly overhead. It looks serene and peaceful; every single Zodiac has relaxed, smiling at the environment.

Somewhere in the distance, a dog barks.

Tyler hisses on instinct and freezes, hands going to his face as Nogla and Smitty laugh at him. “You dumbass,” Smitty cackles, wheezing a bit.

A brown and white Terrier dog comes barreling from over a hill, yipping excitedly as it comes skidding to a stop. It sticks its tongue out, brown eyes wide with joy.

Nogla coos and leans down to pet him. “Hi Buddy!! How’ve you been?”

The dog barks again and wags its tail.

“Buddy!” Someone calls. Evan spreads his newly preened wings and takes off, soaring above the hill and suddenly descending upon something.

The same person shrieks before laughing loudly. “Evan! Damn it, you scared the shit out of me!”

Evan appears again with someone in his talons; the person has a gray hoodie on with rabbit ears and scales in his hand. An omega blindfold covers his eyes, but his smile is large and bright.

Evan gently drops Libra on the ground. Buddy comes rushing up and tackles Libra, the Zodiac wrapping his arms around his dog.

“Hello, Ohm.” Luke smiles at him. "How's it going?"

"Guys!" Ohm leaps to his feet, gasping excitedly as he hugs whoever's closest to him. (Luke, Evan, and Delirious.) "It's wonderful to see you all again! What's going on?"

"Hello, Libra!" Scotty greets him. "I'm Scott, that's Anthony, and we're going to get the Zodiacs back to the Path."

Ohm stares back at them—(does he? they can’t tell because of the blindfold)—and raises his scales. They’re a polished silver and gold that gleam in the afternoon light; the gold tips to one side. The Libra sign glows on the top of them. “What’s in it for us?”

“We will allow everyone to come back here, but not at once.”

The silver dips down a bit. Ohm raises an eyebrow over the blindfold. “Oh?”

“Yeah!” Anthony grins. “It’s not fair that you guys either have to stay up there and never come down. We’d like to allow you guys to come back or else the Path would crack.”

The silver dips down even more, nearly even with the gold. Ohm strokes his chin. “You promise to let me come back and see Buddy?”

“Of course.” Scott replies. “That’s only fair.”

“Fair...” Ohm’s voice trails off. The other Zodiacs look at each other and then back at Libra. “Y’know, fair is something that isn’t common nowadays. People lie, they cheat, and they don’t keep their promises. But _you two...”_

Ohm shakes his head in wonder. “You both are truly going to do this.”

The silver scale goes completely even with the gold, and the scales vanish. Ohm straightens up, pets Buddy, and sends him back to wherever he came from. He walks over to Luke and Evan and settles in quite nicely.

“Scorpio’s next; we gotta head to the desert.” Smitty says, breaking the silence. A grin comes over Gemini’s face as he laughs and floats above Nogla’s head. “He’s gonna be SO PISSED...this is gonna be great.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the omega sign...looks like the libra sign without the line...genius


	9. the scorpion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you ever get excited for a future chapter that won’t be out for a few days or something? that’s exactly what I’m feelin’ rn
> 
> I’m hyped tbh

The desert is hot and dry, causing every Zodiac and Guardian to immediately sweat when they pop into existence. “This SUCKS,” Delirious groans.

Tyler huffs as his mane makes him heat up even more; next to him, Evan sighs as his feathers clump together. It’s Nogla who’s fine due to his aquatic nature. He grins at everyone, happily reveling in his storage of water.

“So,” Anthony pants. “Scorpio?”

“He’s either in the sand or above.” Ohm answers. “He may be hard to find, but his wife...”

Smitty announces he’ll travel by air to find him. Evan volunteers to go with him and takes to the sky, wings flapping against the sun.

"Can anyone," Scotty coughs a bit, "find water from here?"

"I can!" Nogla shoots his hand into the air. "Gimme a minute though, this desert is really focking with my senses..."

Cancer crouches down and nearly burrows himself in the sand. He shuffles around; the other Zodiacs look on and groan. "We're doomed," Delirious wails. 

"I might actually get a mirage of a fucking oasis," Tyler whines. He bounds to the top of a sand dune and groans as well. "Wow, look at that. An oasis. This is why I stick to the savannah; there's an actual watering hole without the disappointment of it being an illusion."

"Tyler, you get so lazy sometimes that you don't even get water yourself."

Leo huffs and rolls his eyes. "Your point?"

Anthony and Luke both laugh out loud, holding their stomachs as Tyler grins. 

"Look, I don't care if that's a mirage or not, I'm going to it." Delirious straightens up. Ohm and Luke glance at each other worriedly. Tyler squats into a pouncing position. "I'll race you to it!"

"You're on, bitch!" 

"Wait, Del no!" Luke yells desperately. He groans as they take off running, putting a hand to his face. "They're idiots. They're just stupid goddamn idiots."

"They're _our_ idiots though," Ohm points out. The ram flashes him a quick grin. "Yeah, true."

The moment they leave, Smitty materializes in front of them with someone in his arms. "Hey guys! Found her."

The girl has deep red hair and brown eyes. She thanks Smitty before settling on the sand, gaining her balance. "Hello everyone," she says, eyes lighting up as Luke gasps. "How've you been?"

"SIMONE!" Luke barrels towards her and wraps her in a giant hug. Simone laughs before hugging him back, mindful of his ram horns. "It's been forever!"

At the exact same moment, Evan comes swooping down, and Nogla pops up from his spot in the sand. "There's water that way!" Nogla says happily, pointing in the direction of where Delirious and Tyler took off. 

Everyone pales and Scotty is the first to speak. "So...that's not a mirage."

"Nope! That's the real thing!" Nogla shakes the sand off his shell. The Zodiacs and Guardians look at him shocked before running after Taurus and Leo, screaming their names. 

Smitty grabs Simone again and lifts her into the air, heading to the actual oasis. "YOU GUYS GOTTA COME BACK OR HE'LL BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF YOU!" Evan yells loudly, trying not to laugh.

Delirious and Tyler reach the oasis. They both huff before making their way to some blankets, plopping down. "At least this mirage feels kinda real," Tyler pants. He looks over at Delirious, who's drinking a bunch of water. "The water tastes real too!"

There's movement in the sand behind them. The two Zodiacs turn, eyes narrowed as they try to figure out what it could be. "Nogla can't burrow in sand, right?" Delirious asks, thinking of him. "This shit feels real, dude. Do you think we're actually in...?"

Tyler's looking around as well. After a few seconds, his tail puffs out, and his ears go flat on his head. "We need to go. We're in his house. LITERALLY."

"Shit," Delirious swears. He leaps to his feet as best he can and tries to rush off, but the moving sand stops him. A man rises from the sand and glares angrily at them; he has curly black hair, a few extra pinchers on his sides, and an extremely sharp tail that drips poison. **"What the FUCK are YOU doing here?!"** He yells, causing the sand dunes to shudder underneath his voice. 

The two jokesters glance at each other and then get up. "Marcel!" Delirious laughs nervously. "Listen, dude, we came in here on accident. We're, uh, with the Guardians and Simone, and—"

 **"SIMONE?!"** Marcel screeches, turning in his anger. Delirious takes the opportunity and shoves Tyler, scampering off and giggling. Marcel whirls around and growls, throwing himself into the sand and burrowing underneath to catch the trespassers. 

Delirious and Tyler literally slam into Luke and Nogla. Evan squawks and turns around, golden eyes wide as he spots the mass of sand making its way towards them. "We gotta go!" He calls out, staying afloat above Marcel. "He's pissed!"

"He's always pissed!" Luke yells back. There's nowhere to go, so they all just huddle and wait for the end. The Guardians, still somewhat terrified, are completely silent as they get crushed between Nogla's shell and Tyler's mane. 

It's Simone who gently takes Smitty's hands off. "This is my job," she says gently. "Leave this to me."

Smitty's red and blue eyes are wide as he nods and vanishes.

Simone takes a few steps in front of the Zodiacs. She waits a few seconds, and then leaps in front of the giant scorpion that's currently rising above her. **"STEP ASIDE,"** Marcel growls. **"THESE ASSHOLES ARE—Simone?"**

Simone laughs and reaches up to pat Marcel's cheeks. "Hello love! Please calm down. It was a simple mistake, they didn't mean to do it on purpose."

Marcel practically deflates in her arms. “But...my oasis...”

“They’re probably thirsty and hungry,” Simone reasons with him. “Besides, the whole ‘idea’ of the illusion wouldn’t work on some of your friends. They’d run towards it anyways.”

Marcel groans and puts his palm to his face, sighing as he drags it down slowly. “So I can’t beat them up?”

“No, not today.” Simone says firmly. “Besides, they have the Guardians with them. I believe this meeting is a bit more important than you think.”

“UGGGHHHHHHHH,” Marcel groans even louder. “Seriously?”

“Yes, seriously!” Simone gently smacks him on the arm. “That’s your job, love. I’m assuming you have to go back to the Path?” She looks at Scott and Anthony; they nod and Simone turns back to her husband.

“You see? They need you, and you need them.” She smiles, bringing him down to kiss him on the cheek and then lips. “You know I love you very much, yes?”

“Yes dear,” Marcel sighs, failing to hide his smile as she pulls away. “I love you more.”

Simone turns to the Zodiacs and Guardians. “He’s going back or I’m going to kick his ass. Does that work out for everyone?”

There’s a flash of Ohm’s scales and everyone snickers as the silver and gold are perfectly balanced. Scotty nods, still in shock, so it’s Anthony that thanks her and escorts Marcel to their group.

“This sucks,” Marcel grumbles. Evan and Nogla lean in and whisper what the Guardians promised; after a moment or two, the scorpion looks up in shock. “Seriously?”

“Yep, and Ohm’s scales said they were completely fair. It’s the real deal dude.” Evan grins. “Sagittarius next?”

“He shouldn’t be that hard, we have Nogla with us.” Tyler jerks a claw at the crab, who’s currently trying to burrow himself into the sand. Luke and Delirious are cheering him on to the amusement of Ohm and Smitty.

“To the plains!” Evan cheers. “That’s where he is. The dynamic duo is gonna be reunited, right Nogla?”

The crab pops his head out of the sand and gasps excitedly. “Yeah!! It’s been too long, dude.”

Anthony shakes Scotty’s shoulder, grinning. “2/3 of the way done!! You’re a great Guardian dude.”

“You are too,” Scott pats him on the back and laughs. “I’m glad you’re my partner on this.”

They all wave goodbye to Simone before they vanish, multiple trails disappearing in the breeze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I made Sagittarius way too obvious but it’s the last three I’m super excited for ;)


	10. the archer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you guys haven't guessed aquarius and pisces yet... ;))

The moment they land in the plains, Evan takes off and soars in the sky. Everyone yells in surprise as he catches a breeze and hovers for a moment. "Where the hell are you going?!" Tyler roars, swiping up at Virgo.

Evan laughs loudly, and it sounds so light and carefree. "His plains are the best to fly in! Don't you feel the winds? This is incredible!"

He swoops across the plains, his dark brown wings gorgeous against the afternoon sun. Marcel awkwardly leans against a tree. "This isn't my domain, so I think I'll stay here."

Tyler sighs and grabs Marcel, hoisting the scorpion onto his back. "If you sting me, there will be hell to pay."

Luke, Delirious, and Ohm have already started walking with the Guardians. "So, Sagittarius." Scott tries to think of the constellation. "He has a horse body right?"

"Sometimes!" Nogla struggles to keep up with them, trying not to trip on anything. "If he wants a horse body, he'll have one. If he wants human legs, he'll have those. The only thing he cannot physically give up even if he wanted to is his quiver of arrows. He’s an experienced archer and hunter; he’ll find us first, I'm positive of that.”

Smitty allows himself to settle down on the grass. He stumbles a bit, but quickly gains his balance and continues to walk with the group. "Think he'll give me a ride?"

Delirious laughs loudly at that and Ohm grins. "If you ask nicely, I think he will!"

They all do their best to not laugh at Tyler, who has a perfect poker face as he carries Marcel on his back. Scorpio wraps himself around Tyler's waist, eyes wide as he looks around. "This is super weird, dude."

"Shut the fuck up or I'll drop you."

"That's fair."

In the sky, Evan flaps his wings and gazes over the grassy plains. He can spot various rabbits, mice, and even other birds of prey. A particularly strong breeze catches his feathers and send him flying even farther from the group. He's not worried, though. He has a connection to nearly all the Zodiac and even if he didn't, the Guardians' power hummed through his veins.

Far in the distance, an arrow shoots directly into a large oak tree, and Evan's wings stiffen for a moment. "Is that...?" He breathes out, swooping down and following the path of the arrow.

Evan travels across streams and fields and finally spots an archer standing at the top of a lone cliff, bow pointed towards the horizon. As he watches, the hunter exhales and lets another arrow fly.

Deciding he's seen enough, Evan lets himself stall and opens his wings, surfing the winds until he's close enough to be in range of the archer.

“Lui!” Virgo shouts, grinning as Sagittarius looks up in shock. “How’ve you been?”

“Evan!” Lui squeaks, putting his bow away. “Oh my gosh, it’s been forever! And your wings are beautiful dude!”

The Zodiac looks at his wings, trying not to smile. He’d always been nervous about showing them off, but Tyler long ago had told him to _“just do it and stop being a little bitch.”_

Fair enough, Evan had said.

“Listen,” Evan says, breaking his own train of thought, “long story short, we need to head back to the Path. It’ll crack, remember?”

“Shit, that’s true.” Lui admits. “We just all kinda rushed outta there. Is everyone here?”

“Yep,” Evan replies. “Everyone from Aries through Scorpio and the Guardians.”

Lui’s eyes light up. “So, he's there...?”

Evan laughs and opens his arms. “If you jump, I’ll catch you.”

Ever the daredevil, Lui doesn’t need to be told twice before he takes a running start and leaps off the cliff. Evan only has a few moments to estimate where Lui is gonna fall before he goes after him, wings pointed downwards.

Lui whoops as Evan grunts, catching the Zodiac before heading upwards and over the plains. "This is amazing!" Sagittarius shouts, grinning as he gets flown across his domain.

Back with the Guardians, they've realized that Evan set out to find him so they all sit back and talk about the Path. Several other Zodiacs mill around, relaxing in the tall grass.

"What's it like, being on the Path?" Anthony asks, trying not to laugh as Tyler puffs up. Marcel nearly digs in his pinchers and mutters an apology. Tyler glares angrily before continuing. 

"It's weird. It feels like you don't exist, you're just a bunch of stars. You know you're alive, and you know that you're visible, but time passes either super slow or super fast. We've seen the Earth create and destroy and bring life and out there in space makes it kinda lonely. That's why we escape. It helps us feel better to actually walk around on Earth and experience everything we can." Tyler finishes, staring up at the sky. 

"To be free..." Ohm shakes his head. "Is one of the greatest things that we can do."

"Holy shit," Scotty breathes. 

Above them, someone yells, and everyone looks up in surprise as Lui comes hurtling towards them. Evan's laughing his ass off and holding his stomach. 

"LOOK OUT BELOW!" Lui shouts, grinning as he plummets. 

"LUI YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Marcel screeches, getting off Tyler's back and rushing towards Luke. Even Smitty backs up, multicolor eyes wide. "I'm good at carrying people, but not catching people as they're free falling!" He yells.

To everyone's surprise, it's Nogla who dashes forward. He trips on his shell (again) and holds his claws up, trying to find the spot where Lui would land. "I GOT YE, LUI!" He shouts, grunting as the archer lands on his back. 

"Hi Daithi!" Lui cheers. "Long time no see!" Evan descends and lands next to Luke and Delirious. Scotty heads forward and when he makes sure that Nogla's okay, he checks in with Lui. 

"Hello!" He greets him. "I'm Scotty and that's Anthony. I guess you already know about our plan...?"

"Yep, and I'm already in." Lui gives him a thumbs up. He already seems quite comfortable as he settles on Nogla's shell. 

"Great!" Anthony exclaims.

"We're down to the final three," Luke says in a dramatic voice, making everyone laugh. "Who will be the last standing?"

"No one if we don't get back in time," Marcel remarks.

“Cap’s next!” Smitty gets off the ground and pretends he’s taller than Evan. Virgo smirks and tries not to laugh. “That means we’re headed to the beach! Pack your swimsuits boys, we’re gonna get a little wet!”

Everyone except Nogla, Delirious, and even Marcel groans loudly. “Fuuucccck,” Tyler whines. “Is he even worth it?”

Ohm laughs out loud. “Tyler, he’s one of the only people you’ll let get close to you.”

Tyler shrugs. “True. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

They vanish into thin air again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> rip me, the ones I don't write as well as I do the others are luke, nogla, lui, and I barely write bryce or anyone else bc I try to keep my character list low. otherwise I'll forget how many people I have to write.
> 
> I WAS ALMOST DONE WITH THE FUCKING CHAPTER AND MY BROWSER CLOSED WITHOUT ANY WARNING AND DELETED THE REST OF IT IM PISSED


	11. the sea-goat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello loves it's monday and I spent the weekend sleeping and doing work thank y'all for being patient <3
> 
> happy anniversary to the alpha kids (11/11/11)

Nogla and Delirious fling themselves into the ocean the moment they arrive at the edge of the beach. 

Scott and Anthony materialize; next to them, Evan struggles to stay off the ground. "The ocean winds are crazy as shit," he sighs. "And seagulls are gonna attack me so I have to stay down here."

Smitty laughs at him as he pops in. "Sucks for you, bitch!" He hovers up and does a cool front flip while in the air. Nearby, a seagull looks up, and Smitty pales and rushes off. 

"Someone's gonna fall into the water!" Delirious laughs as he floats in the shallow end. "Place your bets now, thank you."

Tyler lands with Marcel, Lui manages to avoid the water, and they all watch eagerly as Luke misses his landing and goes shooting into the ocean. "SON OF A BITCH!!" Luke shouts to the laughter of everyone else. "WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME?"

"I'm just glad it wasn't me," Tyler remarks. "Could you imagine if my mane had gotten wet?"

Luke glares angrily at everyone, hair dripping wet. Water droplets fall from his horns and back into the ocean. He poofs back onto the sand and sighs as red glitter mixes with the tide. "I hate you guys."

"You love us," Ohm coos. "Calm down, nerd."

Luke just sighs and buries his face in his hands. 

"I'll go find Capricorn," Nogla offers, grinning as he descends beneath the waves. "Be back in a mo!"

"Be back in a mo?" Smitty mutters, trying not to laugh. "What the fuck?"

Delirious gives the middle finger to whoever's closest. "The water feels great!! Too bad all of you are fuckin' losers."

The rest of the Zodiacs sigh and do their best to settle on the sand, uncomfortably shifting around. "Guys, can we please get like, a towel or something?" Evan pleads, trying to not let his wings drag on the sand. "If my wings get sand in them, I'll have to wash them in the water, and then I won't be able to fly for a while."

"He makes a fair point," Scotty tries not to laugh. His hands glow silver for a moment and then a giant beach towel forms on the ground. Tyler and Evan immediately pounce on it, relaxing on the soft material. Luke, Ohm, and Lui follow suit; Smitty hovers above Tyler, gently landing on his back. Marcel, used to his sandy deserts, looks completely fine on the sand. 

Anthony sits down near Evan, smiling at the Zodiacs. "Any info on Capricorn?"

"He's an idiot," Tyler says instantly. Everyone laughs before it's Ohm who continues. "He's a good guy. A bit of a knucklehead, but his heart is in the right place. There's a running joke about his hair...wait, what's that in the water?"

The Guardians and Zodiacs turn to the ocean where they see Delirious frantically swimming back to shore; the water's boiling a bit, sending bubbles everywhere. "That can't be him," Lui whispers. "Nogla's not back yet."

A girl emerges; she has sharp fangs, narrowed brown eyes, and an ombré in her hair, going from brown to blonde. She has a few gold piercings that glow in the fiery rays of the sun. "Who are you?" She snaps, trying to puff herself up. As they continue to stare, her bronze tail rises from the water and points towards them. It's sharper than a mermaid's tail and it makes a few Zodiacs blink in surprise.

"You're a siren." Luke says bluntly. Next to him, Delirious plops onto the sand and stares at the girl. 

The siren crosses her arms. "Yeah, I am. So what are you doing intruding on my boyfriend's territory?" 

_"Boyfriend?"_ The Zodiacs say in shock. The Guardians just glance at each other, shrugging. 

"Wait...are you Craig's girlfriend?!" Marcel gasps. "I didn't even know he was dating anyone!"

"None of us did, we just learned about this now!" Evan hisses, eyes wide as he folds his wings. "What's your name?"

"Suni," she says, glancing towards the water. "Wait...if all of you are here, and the crab dude is headed after Craig..."

They wait as she puts the pieces together. A moment later, Suni jerks up, and she shakes her head. "No. I won't let you take him."

"WHAT?!" Half of them shout. It's Tyler who gets up, tail lashing and ears pinned back. He bares his fangs and Suni does the same. "NO?! We need his ass, it doesn't matter if you say yes or not! This shit is gonna get fucked up if he doesn't come with us!"

"We don't know if the Path will actually crack!!" Suni shouts, getting as close as she can to the edge of the shore so she can get in Tyler's face. "None of you have left for a while; how do you even know?! Leave him alone and let him stay!"

"He's one of my best friends, _back off."_ Tyler snarls. "I've known him longer."

Leo's claws come sliding out while Suni raises her talons, ready to start a fight. "Wait, no—" Anthony tries to intervene.

The ocean rumbles and Nogla emerges, followed by a guy with goat horns and silver hair. He's pretty built; as he spots what's going on, he dives back into the water and shoots towards shore. "TYLER!" He shouts, angrily getting out. "What're you DOING?!"

"She has the audacity to tell ME that you're not coming with us!" Tyler spits. Evan uses one wing to shield the furious lion. "Suni is not allowed to speak for you!"

"She's my girlfriend, on some stuff she can!" Capricorn crosses his arms. "What the hell is going on?"

Scott takes the opportunity to step forward. "Cap, right?"

The Zodiac grunts. "Or Craig. Doesn't matter. What do you want?"

The Guardians both take a deep breath. They both realize that this one would be a lot harder than they thought. "Look. We're the Guardians and we're here to get everyone back to the Path."

"No," Suni snarls. Craig dips back into the water to hold her. "I'll listen, but just this once." He warns. "What do you want from me?"

"Twelve Zodiacs go onto that Path." Scotty points at the sky. "We have nine of them, and we don't have much time left until that Path shatters. We promised to let everyone come back to their significant others and domains every once in a while, but they can't go all at once."

Craig whips around to look at Ohm and Evan, who nod in unison. "We used Ohm's scales, he's telling the truth." Virgo tells him. "These guys are the real deal."

Capricorn still looks anxious. "I...I don't know..."

"Craig," Suni says, immediately bristling at Tyler who puffs his fur up, "babe, please think about this. What if they're lying?"

"We're not!" Delirious snaps only to get hushed by Luke.

"Ohm wouldn't lie," Craig admits, turning to Libra. "And neither would Evan. They would definitely prank me, but considering we're all here...something else has to be the reason why we're all together."

Suni turns, tears glistening in her eyes as she starts to sob. It's genuine and makes everyone else feel bad. "I'm scared," she cries, struggling to wipe her tears away. Craig curls around her and whispers loving words into her ear. "You might not come back and I don't know what I'll do—"

"I'm coming back to you," Craig says firmly. "There's not a force in this galaxy that can stop me."

"Promise?" She whispers, gazing up at him.

He grins, and reaches down to kiss her. "Promise."

Suni looks at the group and lifts her chin high, ignoring her bloodshot eyes. "Listen to me, and listen well. You bring the love of my life back in one piece or else I'll tear every single one of you into shreds." She threatens. "Bring him back or I will tear you from limb to limb, and no Zodiac or Guardian power will help you. Do you understand?"

"Roger," Anthony manages out. Craig kisses Suni again before getting out of the water and making his way to the group. He looks genuinely sad, and Tyler pats him on the back before heading to another side of the ocean, the smell of salt tainting the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking to myself "how do I make craig want to stay" and then I went "SUNI" and then I felt super bad but it had to be done
> 
> suni is a ray of sunshine and I honestly love her she's so sweet and Im really happy they're dating


	12. the water and the fish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> good luck y'all

“Where the hell are we?”

Everyone lands on an island in the middle of the ocean. Tyler gets dangerously close to the edge of the water; he shrieks and backs up. Nogla, Delirious, and Craig go flying off and land in the ocean, causing a giant splash. 

"For fuck's sake," Luke snaps. "Will we ever get a perfect landing?"

"Probably not," Lui sighs from where he's landed in a tree. "I think it's because teleporting takes a lot out of us. Especially you, Luke. You've been jumping all over the place since this morning."

"Trust me, I know."

Anthony's landed on Scotty; both Guardians wheeze as they get up, wiping some sand off each other. "How are we gonna find Aquarius here?" Scotty cries out, eyes wide as he gazes over the ocean. "Do we call for him?"

"This is his favorite island," Nogla answers from the water. "That prick can walk on water; when he finds us, he'll bring Pisces too. Two in one."

Craig huffs and stays in the water. He looks up at everyone, beckoning them over. "I have an idea. Drop some of your trails into the water, and I'll call him."

Luke lets some red glitter float into the water. Delirious just uses his scent to drift over the waves, Smitty lets some blue and red electricity spark, and Nogla floats seashells around.

Tyler has golden sparks, Evan lets a few insignificant feathers go, Ohm pours some dust from his scales, Marcel drips some poison, and Lui takes out an arrow and drops it into the water. 

Capricorn takes a deep breath and puts his fingers to his lips; after a moment, he lets out an earsplitting whistle blow, causing it to echo across the ocean. "There!" He says, satisfied. "He'll hear it and come. I'm the only one who can do that."

The water ripples and goes still. A faint shimmer makes it glow, waves lapping at the shore of the island. In the far distance, a figure appears, and Craig grins in excitement. "Brian!" He shouts, leaping into the water and swimming towards the man.

Aquarius pauses and starts to run, laughing as he jumps from wave to wave. "CRAIG!" He hollers, colliding with Capricorn as the former leaps out of the water to intercept him. "Buddy! How've you been?"

“Could be better,” Craig confesses, managing a smile. “Look who we brought!”

Brian looks up at his island; the rest of the Zodiacs wave, and he narrows his eyes as he spots the Guardians. “Hold on a sec...”

Scotty and Anthony take the opportunity to look at Aquarius. He’s wearing a simple white t-shirt and black shorts with running shoes. Brian’s hair is perfectly ruffled from the ocean winds and his teeth are a pearly white. 

They’re both dazzled by his appearance; next to them, Delirious fans himself and Smitty wolf-whistles. “Looking fine as always!” He yells, laughing as Brian blows him a kiss.

“Where’s Lanai?” Craig asks, leading him to the island. “Is she around?”

“She’s busy in one of the underwater palaces. I’m not allowed to go, apparently; something about me being accident-prone?” Brian sighs. “But the real question is, what’re the Guardians doing here and why is everyone with them?”

“The Path?” Evan offers, struggling not to let his wings open. One gust of wind and he’d be stuck on an updraft of air, so he wisely keeps his wings shut.

Brian groans loudly. “Ah, fuck. I knew that would catch up to me. I assume someone snitched about the way out?”

Luke raises his hand, not even bothered. “That would be me.”

Aquarius turns to the Guardians and he crosses his arms. “Look. That way is MY way, and none of you can take that from me!!”

“We’re not going to,” Scotty blinks. “We’re just trying to get everyone home.”

As Brian processes that, the water ripples again, and the last Zodiac pops his head out of the ocean. “Guys?”

Scotty and Anthony stare in awe at Pisces, who blinks up at them and lets his mermaid tail glitter in the dying sun.

“BROCK!!” Everyone screams before rushing down to the water. No shame at all, Delirious and Nogla throw themselves at him and scream.

“Oh my goodness!” Brock laughs, patting both of them on the back. “Hi everyone!”

Evan, in his surprise at seeing his dear friend, accidentally shoots open his wings and yelps as the updraft carries him upwards. “SHIT!”

Tyler bursts out laughing and climbs a nearby tree to get him down.

Brian’s face softens at seeing Brock and he reaches down, picking him up out of the water. Brock’s tail is a gorgeous iridescent color, morphing from red to blue to violet as he moves around.

“What’s going on?” Brock asks, flicking his tail and causing water to splash over Brian.

“They, uh, wanna take us back to the Path.” Brian says nervously, adjusting his hold on the mermaid.

Brock gives him a small glare. “I told you!! I said it was a bad idea and you said _“nooo, it’ll be fine”_ and now we’re gonna be in trouble!”

“Actually, no.” Anthony snickers. “We'll let you guys come back, obviously. Just let us know before you go.”

Brian and Brock stare at the rest of the Zodiacs. The other ten nod eagerly, laughing as they look shocked.

“Well, fuck.” Brian mutters only to get smacked by Brock. “Guess we didn’t have to worry...?”

“It’s fine,” Scotty waves his hand dismissively. “We just gotta go soon.”

The moon starts to rise as Brian carries Brock out of the water, making sure his tail doesn’t smack into anything on the way out. Evan manages to get down with Delirious and Tyler’s help, and they all go into a huddle.

With one final teleport, the Guardians hold everyone close and head back to the very first tree they started at.

"We did it," Scotty whispers when they land, gazing over at the reunited Zodiacs. "We actually did it!"

"Fuck yes!" Anthony shouts, pumping his fist into the air. Brian laughs, eyes crinkling as he sets Brock down on a patch of water he quickly created to high-five the Guardian. 

"Time to head back, right?" Evan asks, smiling from where he's standing with Delirious and Craig. "I'm excited for once; you're gonna willingly let us head back here."

"A promise is a promise," Anthony replies. 

The Zodiacs cheer, suddenly rampaging the Guardians. "This is gonna be great!" Lui shouts, laughing with Nogla. 

Something swells in Scotty's chest. Every single connection is humming and glowing bright; the power of the stars makes his fingertips tingle and he smiles. "Thank you," he begins to say. "I'm very proud to be your Guardian along with Anthony. We vow to protect you twelve, no matter what, and make sure you and your loved ones are safe—"

The world suddenly goes dark, and reality shatters.

Everyone gasps and backs up as cracks spread through the Earth, ripping apart the ground and causing plants and trees to vanish into thin air. The ocean recoils and flows into the cracks; far below, there's a hiss as the saltwater hits magma.

"No," Scotty whispers. "Oh, no."

Anthony stumbles and looks up, eyes wide as he spots the sky. Silver cracks run down the heavens, splintering and causing the moon to go out. A wave of darkness falls over the stars, each one shining brightly before winking out of existence. 

The Zodiacs gasp before gathering in a circle. "We wasted too much time," Nogla moans, closing his eyes and huddling near Marcel. Tyler and Craig glance at each other; Evan's wings shoot out, covering his friends in the huddle they're in. 

"The Path!" Brock yells out from where he's on the ground, mermaid tail slapping on the dirt. Brian quickly scoops him up, huddling him to his chest. "We have to hurry!"

"It's already too late!" Ohm cries back. "We lost!"

They turn to their Guardians; Scotty's face is a pale white while Anthony looks terrified. "We have to try and get back," Scott croaks out. "It's our last chan—“

The ground rips open behind them, and the two Guardians lose their footing. All twelve Zodiacs scream and rush forward; Tyler and Marcel reach them first, fear making them both tremble. They desperately try to pull the two up, grunting against the weight of gravity.

But physics sadly prevails, and they feel the ground crumble beneath their feet. Scott and Anthony can feel their terror being amplified by everyone else, yelling as they nearly fall.

Tyler grabs onto Anthony while Marcel grabs Scott. "DO NOT LET GO!" Tyler roars, trying not to scratch Anthony as his claws keep him pinned.

"You can't hold us forever," the Guardian whispers. "You gotta let me go."

"What?! NO!" Marcel shrieks, holding onto Scotty. "We need you!"

"We've done all that we can! Now it's up to you!" Scotty yells. He leans forward and presses a quick kiss to Marcel's forehead; next to him, Anthony does the same for Tyler.

Leo and Scorpio stiffen as they feel a Guardian power wash over them, traveling throughout their bodies. Silver sparks shoot out of their fingertips; they've given them the right amount of power to get back home. "There!" Anthony calls out. "You've gotta get to the Path! Good luck!"

"Wait, no!" Tyler yells desperately. 

The other Zodiacs are frozen in fear and can only watch as their beloved Guardians suddenly shove them back, saving them from the cracks. "NO!" Tyler and Marcel scream at the top of their lungs. 

Scotty and Anthony tumble into the Earth, both yelling as they fall. It's Smitty who nearly rushes in after them, but Delirious snatches him back with his tail, screeching at the top of his lungs. Evan shields them with his wings, tears streaming out of his golden eyes. 

Luke's frozen in place, Delirious huddles with Smitty and Evan, Tyler and Marcel are still screaming, Lui, Nogla, Ohm, and Craig are trying to get everyone moving, and Brian and Brock are wrapped up in each other, the latter crying while Brian tries to calm him down.

"They'll be back," Brian shouts, doing his best to wipe his own tears away. "We gotta keep moving! For them!"

"For them," Tyler croaks, sniffling as he holds onto Marcel. The group, still trembling, turns to the tallest mountain on Earth and watch as a crack pierces the very tip. "We're headed home, boys. We have a world to save."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha sorry


	13. the end of the world (cracks)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had the ending of that last chapter ready for several days lmao
> 
> sorry not sorry ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

The only light that's glowing in the dark is Smitty's red and blue sparks and Brock's tail. Evan's eyes are glowing as well; he keeps trying to blink his tears away as he hurries along with Marcel and Ohm.

"Shit," Luke quietly swears. He's tripped over a giant crack in the ground. Delirious silently helps him up and they all make it to the base of the mountain.

A good majority of the stars are gone already. There's a very small black hole where the moon was; if left unchecked, it would expand and quite possibly destroy Earth. Hm. 

Lui lights an arrow and shoots it at the mountain. A trail of light shows that the mountain itself is splitting. Boulders crumble down, bringing clouds of dust and debris. "I can't carry everyone up this," Evan says, sadness making his wings droop. "I don't even have the energy to fly myself up there."

Even as the world is destroyed around them, the Zodiacs stick together. All the fight has drained out of their best attackers. Even Tyler looks mournful; his face is glittering with tears as he stares up at the heavens. "Is it even worth it?" He rumbles, sinking down near Craig. 

Capricorn puts an arm around the lion and comforts him, rubbing his back. "It's okay," he whispers. "We'll think of something." 

Smitty's practically collapsed on Lui's back. Sagittarius has shifted into his horse form; he's a beautiful Shire horse, his coat a lovely black and gray color. Lui glances back at Smitty and pats him gently on the head. Most of them are crying at the thought of their significant others, stuck in their domains and doomed to die.

To everyone's surprise, it's Nogla who grabs a few of his seashells and hurls them into the group. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE WE DOING?!" He shouts, waving his claws into the air. "In case ye haven't noticed, THE WORLD IS LITERALLY ENDING!!"

"No shit, idiot!" Marcel snaps. "And what do you want us to do about that?"

Nogla groans loudly and hops over a crack that spreads right underneath him. "Oh, I don't know, how about we GO SAVE THE WORLD OR SOME SHIT BY GETTING UP THERE."

Tyler lets the silver glow form on his fingertips and thinks of their beloved Guardians. "...I hate to admit this, but I think he's right."

"WHAT!?" Every other Zodiac except Nogla screeches. Cancer beams at Leo, tears welling in his eyes. "What the fuck?!" Brian splutters, nearly dropping Brock. "What the hell are you on about?"

"Look," Tyler begins, glancing at Marcel. "Before they...y'know...they gave Marcel and I some of their power. We obviously can get down from the Path by jumping, right?"

"Right," Evan nods, golden eyes narrowed. 

"But we can't get back up." Tyler keeps on going. "So they knew they were gonna fall. Maybe we could've saved them, I don't know. I don't want to think about it right now. But they gave us enough power to get back up without their physical forms."

Ohm gasps from where he's next to Delirious. "So, we have a chance?"

"We do!" Brock exclaims. "Instead of waiting to fade away, we can make it home and fix everything!"

"And maybe even bring Scotty and Anthony back," Smitty smiles, wiping his tears away. "Let's take a vote. All for dying right here?"

Not a single Zodiac raises their hand. 

"Alright, none. All for saving the world and being heroes again and seeing your babes again?" Smitty grins. 

Everyone shoots up their hand, stomping and cheering as Smitty leaps into the air. "THEN LET'S DO THIS!!" Gemini shouts, pointing at the mountain. "But first, we've got to come up with a buddy system!"

They've all seemed to regain their personalities again. All twelve are fired up, crackling with energy and motivation to make it home. 

Ohm’s the best at organizing them, so he pairs everyone up. “Smitty, you’ll have to carry Nogla. He’s not very good at climbing stuff due to the claws and legs.”

“Roger!” Smitty salutes.

“Brian, you’ll have Brock, obviously.”

“As usual.” Brian winks at Pisces, who laughs.

“Tyler, I’m gonna have Craig help you. Don’t argue and don’t be an ass; he’s part goat and his hooves make it easier to climb.”

Tyler inhales the curse words he was probably about to say and sighs, patting Craig on the back.

“Evan, you can fly, so take Delirious. Be careful, okay?”

Evan puffs himself up and Delirious giggles, walking over to him and running a hand down his feathers.

“Marcel, I’m having you go with Luke. That fucker is half ram; you’ll be completely fine with him.”

Marcel breathes a sigh of relief and goes to high-five his buddy.

“And that leaves me with Lui,” Ohm finishes. “We have to make it up the mountain and to the top. Once there, Tyler and Marcel are gonna have to use their temporary Guardian powers to create the stairway and get us back up to the Path.”

"That is a...surprisingly good plan." Luke admits. "So, question. Some of us can fly and climb, but what about Brian and Brock? Brian can't climb but you paired him with the only guy he can carry."

Aquarius scoffs and uses his trail to drip water. To the shock (and amazement) of everyone, he uses the water to form a bubble and drop Brock in. He uses his own water to create his own path; even as rocks rain down, they get intercepted by the water and erode away in the blink of an eye. "You were saying?" He says smugly. 

"I swear," Tyler says loudly, making everyone laugh as they get into position, "that goddamn ASSHOLE makes me want to actually deck him in his fucking face."

"You can do that later!" Evan takes to the sky with Delirious on his back. "We've got a job to do!"

They all rush the mountain. Luke literally picks up Marcel, sets him on his back, and scales the mountain like it's nothing. Craig grabs onto Tyler and does his best to leap up small paths. 

They have to stop for a bit due to the barrage of rocks. Only Brian is able to keep going, but it's taking a lot out of him to walk up the mountain and carry Brock's bubble at the same time. The mermaid peers up, eyes wide as he stares at the widening cracks in the sky. "Guys..."

"Yeah, we know." Smitty grunts as he drags Daithi up the side. "Why did we have to get the biggest in the world? Couldn't we have just placed the stars on some insignificant mountain? Please?"

"Then what's the point?" Tyler grins as he helps Craig over a crack. "We gotta be the best, so we get the best things!"

"He really lives up to his Zodiac, doesn't he?" Ohm mutters, making Lui laugh. 

Evan swoops back down. What makes everyone stop in shock is the fact that he doesn't have Delirious on his back. "We found a part of the mountain that got dislodged from the cracks!! It's stable for now; I can fly you guys there so we can get to the top faster."

Brian immediately looks at Brock. "You go first."

"What?!" Brock exclaims, splashing some water out of his bubble. "What about you?"

"I'll make sure that bubble is safe for travel." Brian smiles at him. "Don't worry about me."

Brock just stammers as Brian makes sure the bubble will stay stable as Evan does his best to get close. He perches on a rock formation that's sticking out and reaches out with his talons. Ever so carefully, Evan gently picks up the bubble and salutes at Brian. "I'll keep him safe."

"You better," Brian growls, shooing them off. Luke takes Marcel and easily makes his way over to where Evan vanishes. Craig soon follows with Tyler, Smitty and Nogla not far behind. 

Evan returns and snatches Brian, and then Ohm, and so on and so forth. The Zodiacs end up on a medium sized ledge that carries everyone's weight. The top of the mountain isn't far from their current spot. "It's so close," Lui breathes; he's shifted from a horse to a human to save space on the travel. He grabs an arrow and sends it flying near the top. There's a rope attached to a few of them and he beckons them over. "If you're able to climb up rope, then go for it! I'll stay down here and make sure you guys get up safely."

Brock's made his way back into Brian's arms again. Brian shakes his head, jostling the bubble a bit. "I'll wait for everyone else."

Marcel, Ohm, and Tyler take advantage of the ropes. They use their respective attributes to get up; although Ohm doesn't have anything that can really help, he uses pure upper body strength to scale the mountain.

Evan grabs Delirious and takes off to the top. Smitty takes a deep breath and takes Nogla with him as well. That leaves Luke, Lui, Craig, and Brian/Brock.

"A few of us can climb, and a few of us can carry each other." Lui says determinedly. "Luke, since you're the best climber, can you get Brock and maybe Brian if you can support them both?"

"I'll see what I can do." Luke promises. Brian hesitantly gets onto his back, still holding Brock in his arms. Aries buckles a bit, but then stands tall as he gets up. "I've got this!" He cheers triumphantly, making steady steps towards the top. Craig grabs Lui and takes him too. 

Twelve Zodiacs make their way to the top of the mountain. The Earth's still rumbling beneath their various feet, the sky is a pitch dark, and yet they still press onwards. 

At the very tip, they crowd around and let Marcel and Tyler make their way to the front. The silver glow forms at their fingertips again. Leo and Scorpio take a deep breath. "For the Guardians?" Marcel asks, grinning at Tyler.

The lion laughs loudly. "For the Guardians!"

Right before they press their hands to the ground, the mountain buckles, and a ripping noise echoes through the world.

_CRACK!_

The tip of the mountain splits into two. 

Everyone screams as half of them get thrown on one side of the mountain. Tyler gets up, dazed and hurting as he looks over the five that landed on his side. Smitty, Craig, Ohm, Evan, and Brock lay near the rocks, all of them in various amounts of pain. One of Evan's wings is awkwardly bent; a giant rock seems to be the culprit as it lays on the brown feathers. 

"Shit," Tyler whispers, whipping around to try and find Marcel. "ARE YOU GUYS ALRIGHT?"

"WHAT?!" Someone shouts back from the other tip of the ripped mountain; it's Luke, who's comforting Delirious as he struggles to get up. Nogla helps Lui, Brian panicking behind them. "WHERE'S BROCK?!" Brian screeches, kicking up dust. 

"He's over here!" Craig yells, waving his arms. "The bubble hasn't popped, but it looks fragile."

Brian attempts to make a water path over, but his foot barely makes it off the mountain before Nogla snatches him back. "Brian, no." He says urgently. "You're exhausted. You know damn well that you won't make it."

"But I have to," Brian cries, desperately pointing in Brock's direction. "Please!"

Marcel groans and gets up, shaking off dust. "We don't have much time!" He yells over at Tyler. "Can you still use the stairway over there?"

"We might have to make two separate ones!" Tyler calls back. "Where's the connection point?"

Evan coughs as he struggles to push the rock off. Brock shuffles his way over in his bubble and uses his mermaid strength to shove the rock away. "Polaris!" Brock manages to say as dust particles make their way into his bubble. "The North Star. That's how we get home."

"Pretty ironic," Smitty mutters. Craig quietly agrees and helps everyone up.

At the end of the world, the Zodiacs stand on top of the tallest mountain on Earth ready to save everyone they know and love.

“Three!” Tyler roars, glowing silver as he readies his grasp.

“Two!” Marcel answers, the tip of his scorpion tail shining bright.

 **“ONE!”** They yell in unison. 

They both press their hands to the Earth, and silver threads shoot out of the ground. They weave together, forming a ladder from their spots. When it intertwines, it creates a staircase that leads right to the Path.

“Luke!” Marcel barks. “You have to go first!”

“Gotcha!” Aries gets up and follows with Taurus close behind. They both scramble up their ladder and then hustle up the stairs. Luke throws himself into his spot and there’s a click as Polaris shines bright above the Path.

Delirious follows, and his constellation lights up.

Everyone gasps in excitement and Smitty gets up, grinning as he just floats his way back. “See you guys soon!” He shouts, locking into place.

Nogla nearly slips on his way up and Lui gasps. “DAITHI!” He yells, itching to make sure he’s alright. “BE CAREFUL!”

“No shit!” Comes the angry reply, and the rest of the Zodiacs exhale in relief.

Tyler lets the silver flow into the ground, where it pulses and stays. He takes a deep breath and claws his way up the ladder. When he gets to the stairs, it only takes him two jumps to land in his spot.

Evan has to rapidly flap one wing as he climbs as fast as he can, Ohm right behind. They both help each other into position and Evan’s wings vanish into the stars.

Marcel makes sure his own ladder is stable before climbing it. Lui hurries up behind him, making it to the Path. 

One by one they lock into place. Below them, the Earth roars and cracks spread across the sky and ground. Magma bubbles up and starts to destroy the environment around them. 

Craig climbs his ladder, but pauses when he sees Brock. "Wait, Brian! How're you gonna get Brock?" He yells over the wind, grasping the very bottom of the stairs. "He's all the way over here!"

"I know," Brian says hoarsely. "I'll think of something." 

Capricorn nods and vanishes as he jumps into the heavens.

Down to the final two. Brian climbs up a few rungs and makes it to the stairs. He hesitates and turns to Brock, who's staring at him with wide eyes. "Brian?" Pisces whispers, moving around in his bubble.

Brian cannot abandon him. (He literally can't—the fate of the world hangs in the balance.)

Quickly deciding what to do, he jumps to the other side of the mountain and scoops him up. "I got you!" Brian shouts, using one hand to climb and one to hold Brock.

The ocean and magma rise together, both hissing as they touch. It engulfs the world and head up the mountain, obliterating everything in sight.

The cracks spread further. Brian climbs faster.

Brock’s tail pops out of the bubble and the mermaid curls up as fast as he can. “We gotta hurry,” Brock gasps, staring at the rising lava. “I’d say leave me behind, but—“

“Not an option regardless.” Brian snarls. “I’m not leaving you.”

He reaches the stairs and scrambles, nearly tripping as he reaches the Path. The constellations of his dear friends glow brightly as Brian races past Luke and then Evan and then Craig. An internal countdown chimes as Brian holds his partner in crime. 

“Forgive me,” Brian whispers.

The moment Aquarius feels his feet turning into stars, he throws Pisces, and Brock shrieks as he goes flying across the heavens.

_Click._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> second to last chapter yo


	14. starry nights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I accidentally posted the chapter early omfg Im so sorry)
> 
> thank you so much for being with me! I appreciate it :))

"Well, that was fun." Scotty says nonchalantly.

He's sitting with Evan near the original tree that was marked with everyone's trails. In front of them, Tyler and Delirious chase each other while screaming. Kelly's watching with one of the lion cubs by her side; maybe it's Kino?

Evan yawns and stretches his wings under the sun. His bent one has fully healed; and now with Delirious watching over him, his feathers were glossy and completely healthy. "I left right when Brock threw Brian into the water," he mumbles sleepily. "What happened after that?"

"He got soaked!" Scotty laughs, watching as Anthony creeps up on Tyler. Delirious pauses just long enough for the Guardian to leap onto the lion's back; Tyler screeches and bucks, trying to throw him off. Anthony just laughs as he holds on. "That asshole may be able to walk on water, but when he least expects it..."

"Did he yell at Brock?" Evan asks, amused as Delirious attempts to pile on. Tyler can't hold both their weights so they all crumple and hit the ground. In the background, Kelly bursts out laughing and grins.

"He sure did. Of course, he didn't mean it, but it was super funny to watch."

They both sit back in their chairs and watch Taurus and Leo play around.

The end of the world was a bit...anti-climatic. Even with the Earth being destroyed, all it took was Brock getting into position for everything to be reversed.

"So, let me ask you this." Evan says, leaning forward. "When you guys...fell...how'd you get out?"

Scotty laughs. "We're demigods, dude. We may not be immortal, but there's a lot of stuff we can take. I grabbed onto some ledge, Anthony helped me out, and we ended up floating in the ocean with lava all around us."

Evan sighs and smacks his hand to his face. "You scared the shit out of us. I've never seen Tyler actually cry. We really gave up hope for a moment."

"I'm glad you guys didn't," the Guardian replies. "Anthony and I knew that we didn't have enough time to get back to the twelve of y'all. Also, what the fuck happened with the mountain?"

"Everest? A crack split it open. Six of us got thrown to one side and six on another. My wing got busted up by a rock." Evan rolls his eyes. "That's some bullshit."

A timer next to Scotty's chair rings and Evan gets up, stretching his wings out. "Time's up!" He calls to Tyler and Delirious. They both set Anthony down and Kelly walks over, giving Tyler a kiss. "Love you!" She shouts as she heads back to her home.

The three Zodiacs gather around the Guardians. "It's a gorgeous summer day," Delirious sighs dreamily. "Thanks for letting us come out here, guys."

"Of course!" Scotty says happily. "It's the least I can do."

Evan hums as he lets Delirious climb onto his back. He glances at Tyler; the lion sighs and heads on over, grumbling to himself. "Fine, whatever." He rolls his eyes and allows himself to get picked up by Virgo's talons.

“Is anyone scheduled for the next day or two?” Delirious asks before he gets flown off. The Guardians shake their head.

“Nah, they decided to let us have a break. We’ll travel the world for a few weeks and then we’ll open slots up for you guys to go chill out down here again.” Anthony grins. “I’m glad the scheduling system worked out for all of us.”

After the Path was nearly destroyed and the world ended, they all joined together to make a schedule for whatever Zodiacs wanted to leave. They could go out three times a week and get the first slot before their other companions; only three could go at a time.

It worked out well, actually. Everyone was genuinely happy with it.

Evan salutes and flies off, taking them all back to the Path and becoming constellations again.

“This was a good day,” Scotty comments. In the West, the sun sets, and all twelve glow brightly in the sky.

The two Guardians sit on their chairs and gaze up at the stars. “This is a really cool job,” Anthony grins. “I’m glad you’re my partner in crime. Couldn’t have done it without you my dude.”

“Same to you,” Scotty echoes, and they clink sodas from an ice cooler next to Anthony’s chair.

Above them, the sky’s glowing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanksgiving break just started for me; so happy thanksgiving if any of you celebrate it!! if not, I hope you guys get a bunch of food and can sleep for longer than 10 hours.
> 
> if your family sucks, I’m ur sister now. I don’t make the rules. 
> 
> <3

**Author's Note:**

> strap urself in folks, this is gonna be fun


End file.
